DMCC Rugby 7’s sponsored by History of Ceylon Tea!
DMCC, with its famous clubhouse in Darrawela, by which name the club is commonly referred to (Darrawela Club), was founded in 1868 and possesses one of the richest and oldest sporting heritages of any club in Sri Lanka. In addition to tea, sports are a by-product of the British era that has gone on to assume proportions of comparable magnitude, at least in terms of the national psyche. While cricket has obviously taken centre stage with the national team having evolved into a world force, rugby was, and continues to flourish within the domestic structure and often attracts audiences greater than seen even in international cricket matches in Sri Lanka. The Darrawela Club sporting history stretches back to more than 135 years and famously developed a tradition of rivalry with the Dimbulla Athletic & Cricket Club (DACC – Radella Club), both of which provided a steady supply of first class amateur sportsmen that represented the country in rugby, cricket and athletics. Darrawela Club, with its excellent club house and ground facilities is steeped in history having attracted many famous touring sports teams and personalities in its long existence. This included in 1891, a visit by the Czarevitch, who three years later went on to become Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia, and was the last serving Emperor until his forced abdication in 1917 following the Russian revolution! Announcing the sponsorship, MJF Group Marketing Director, Dilhan C. Fernando said, “It was one of the easier sponsorship decisions we have had to make! Planters’ have been the life-blood of the country for more than one and a half centuries and indeed, are pivotal to the very success of our own company and brand”. Fernando added, “An additional motivation for us is the historical element of this great industry, which we are endeavouring to collate and preserve through the History of Ceylon Tea website, an industry service project sponsored by the MJF Group. The planters’ clubs represent an important element of this history and the Darrawela Club repository of historical information in terms of photographs and club records is second to none”. As a part of the sponsorship package that cover the Rugby 7’s tournament activities, the MJF Group will also provide the logistics for preserving the Darrawela Club’s impressive collection of historical memorabilia through a digital process that will see an independent website on HOCT being dedicated to the Club. This process, in relation to the photographs, will also see the Club receiving new refurbished copies of their collection of photographs, allaying any fears of their inevitable attrition to father time. The DMCC Inter-Plantations Rugby 7’s tournament will take place at the Darrawela Club grounds on Saturday, 31st March and commences at 7.45am, where 16 teams will vie for the DMCC trophy. By David Colin-Thomé
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